Bottle cap for gasified drinks



Oct. 4, 1960 A. J. DEL VALLE 2,954,890

BOTTLE CAP FOR GASIFIED DRINKS Filed Jan. 15, 1958 Ute VIIIIZJXZNTOR y W W! 2,954,890 BOTTLE 'CAP FOR GASIFIED DRINKS- Alberto Jose del Valle, 3740 Rivadavia St., Buenos Aires, Argentina Filed Jan. '13, 1958, Ser. No. 708,486

Claims. (11. 215-52 The present invention is directed to a bottle stopper for gasified drinks such as, for example, cider, champagne, etc., and to the combination of a bottle having said stopper secured therein.

An object of the present invention is to provide a bottle stopper which is radially enlarged by the pressure of the gas in the bottle to provide a better and more eifective contact of the stopper with the wall of the neck of the bottle, the contact increasing with the pressure produced by the gas.

Another object is to provide a bottle stopper wherein the sealing action is assured by the pressure of the gas within the bottle and thereby obtain a more secure seal.

Another object of the invention is to *provide'a bottle stopper which can be fabricated from plastic materials.

These and other objects which will be readily apparent hereinafter are obtained in a practical form by the bottle stopper as herein described. More particularly, the stopper of the present invention is characterized by a tubular body having a closed lower end and a plurality of transverse bellows-like folds to provide for longitudinal expansion and contraction of the body portion. At the other end of the tubular body there is provided a fastening head and between the fastening head and the bellowslike folds there is provided a radially outwardly extending abutment means for abutting the edge of a bottle, said head having therethrough conduit means providing communication between the interior of the tubular body portion and the atmosphere.

The invention in one of its preferred forms, by way of examples, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal cross section of the bottle stopper in an operative position in the neck of the bottle.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal view partly in section of the stopper out of the bottle.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal view of the stopper being inserted into the neck of the bottle.

like folds 2 of triangular cross-section which convert the lower body portion into a bellows a. This bellows can be contracted or folded longitudinally thereby increasing the diameter of the lower flexible body portion or can be longitudinally expanded to decrease the diameter.

At the upper end 3 of the tubular body a there is provided a fastening head b, which, in the illustrated example, is removable, the head comprising a substantially rigid cap 4 which is threadedly secured to the upper end of the tubular body until the lower end of the cap 4 is in proximity to ringlike or annular stop 5 defined by the upper surface of the ringlike or annular radially outwardly extending shoulder 6 on thetubular body a. The shoulder 6';

defines on the lower surface a ringlike or annular seat or stop surface against which abuts the edge 8 of the bottle neck 0 to thereby limit penetration of the stopper into the bottle. Between the shoulder 6 and the bellows a the tubular body includes a smooth surfaced cylindrical section 9 which maintains the fastening head centrally of the Around the hole 10 the cap 4 is provided with a ringlike edge 4 for supporting the wire cage normally used for retaining the bottle stopper in the bottle neck.

For securing the cap to the tubular member the cap 4 is provided with a sharpened ringlike edging 4" substantially frusto-conical, which edging is inserted into the upper opening of the tubular member to thereby provide a firm seal between the edge of the tubular member and the cap 4. p

The bellows a, when the bellows-like folds 2 are uniformly spaced, is not perfectly cylindrical because the upper folds are of greater diameter than the lower folds, to take advantage of the normal widening of the opening. of the neck of the bottle which is generally'present in bottles of the type with which the stopperof thepresent invention is utilized. However, this enlarged diameter of a portion of the bellows is not-necessary because all of, the bottle stopper which is introduced into the neckof the bottle can be,'under normal conditions, perfectly cylindrical and, therefore, need not precisely conform in shape to the opening of the neck of the bottle.;

The stopper of the present invention can be introduced;- .into the bottle with or without head 12 mounted on the;

tubular body a. If the head bis mounted on a ;tubula;rbody prior to insertion into the bottle air under pressure can be injected through small hole 10 to longitudinally expand the bellows a until its diameter is sufficiently reduced to permit introduction of the bellows into the neck of the bottle. When the air under pressure is eliminated the bellows a is longitudinally contracted by its own elasticity and by pressure of the air or gas inside the bottle until the bellows longitudinally contract to its original shape thereby increasing the diameter thereof and forcing the folds firmly against the inner wall of the neck of the bottle.

In the event that the stopper is inserted into the bottle without the head quite secured thereto, air under pressure can be employed to longitudinally expand the bellows or alternatively a rod or piston can be inserted into tubular body a to longitudinally extend the bellows a and thereby permit the introduction of the stopper into the bottle. After insertion of the stopper into the bottle the bellows again adjust itself to provide a secure seal.

When removing a stopper as above described fromthe neck of the bottle it is merely necessary to rotate the head while pulling it away from the bottle because by this movement the successive folds of the bellows are progressively stretched, first the outermost and last the innermost, to reduce the diameter of the folds until the stopper is removed from the bottle.

It is also pointed out that the head b, instead of being separate but secured to the tubular body a may be integral (not shown) with the tubular body. However, in the preferred form of the invention the head is separate so that it can be sufliciently rigid, a condition which cannot be fig Patented Oct. 4, 0

various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bottle stopper comprising a tubular member having-an upperend and a lower flexible body portion having radially enlarge said folds into secure engagement with the innerwall-ot the bottle neck.

2; A. bottle stopper as recited in claim 1 wherein said cap has a radial edge near its upper end for Wiring said stopper-to the neck of the bottle.

3; A- bottle stopper comprising a tubular member havingan upper externally threaded end, an annular radially outwardly extending shoulder below said threaded end, a smooth surfaced cylindrical portion below said shoulder and a flexible lower portion below said smooth surfaced cylindrical portion, saidflexible portion having a closed lower endand a plurality of transverse bellows-like folds to providefor longitudinal expansionand contraction of said flexible portion, and an internally threaded cap secured to said threaded portion, said cap having an aperture therethrough providing communication between the interiorof said tubular member and the atmosphere, said cap having a downwardly depending inwardly tapered portion, said tapered portion being received Within the upper-end of said tubular member, whereby when said bottle stopper is inserted into the neck of a bottle until the shoulder rests upon the edge of the bottle, increase of fluid pressure within the bottle tends to upwardly longitudinally-contract said flexible portion and radially enlarge said folds into secure engagement with .the inner wall of the bottle neck.

4. In combination, a bottle having a neck and fluid under pressure in said bottle, a stopper secured in said neck and providing a closure for said bottle, said stopper comprising an upper head portion and a lower tubular flexible body portion having a closed lower end and a plurality of transverse bellows-like folds to provide for longitudinal expansion and contraction of said body portion, conduit means through said head portion providing communication between theinterior of said tubular body portion and the atmosphere, and radially outwardly extending abutmentmeans intermediate said head and body portions, said body portion being positioned in the neck of the bottle with said abutment means abuttingthe edge of the bottle, the pressure of the fluid in the bottle tending to'upwardly longitudinally contract said body portion and radially enlarge said'cfolds into secure engagement with the inner wall of the bottle neck.

'5. A bottle stopper comprising a tubular member having an upper end and a lower flexible body portion having a closed lower end and a plurality of transverse bellowslike folds to provide'for longitudinal expansion and contraction of said body portion, a radially outwardly extending shoulder intermediate said upper end and said body portion for abutting the edge ofa bottle, a cap at the upper end, said cap having an aperture therethrough providing communication between the interior of said tubular memher and the atmosphere, whereby when said body portion is inserted into the neck of a bottle, increase of fluid pressure in the bottle tends to upwardly longitudinally contract said body portion and radiallyenlarge said folds into secure engagement with the-inner Wall of the bottle neck, said tubular member having a smooth surfaced cylindrical section intermediate said shoulder and said bellows-like folds;

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,733,450 Wallace Feb. 7, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 527,701 Canada July 10, 1956 1,082,285 France June 16, 1954 

